It Don't Mean A Thing
by Sabbie
Summary: Zuko and Katara jamming to music in the rainfall. Best listened with the 7 minute version of Ella Fitzgerald's version of "It Don't Mean A Thing if It Ain't Got that Swing"


On the day of his coronation, it rained. Right after his crown was placed in his topknot, the looming grey cloud burst open, drenching everyone from all four nation.

Zuko sighed. Between the four nation, the interpretations of the omen differ greatly, and while everyone debated what it would meant to his reign, he sneaked out. Who cares what the fates say, he'd be trying his best and if he could survive everything he suffered since his banishment, ruling should be cakewalk.

He looked at the lonely musical instrument perched atop his table in his room.

i Hmmm... /i 

xxx

Merely minutes later, Katara stumbled upon the newly crowned Fire Lord in the small hallway surrounded by garden. His eyes immediately darted to her.

"So." she began awkwardly. "Fire Lord eh?"

He nodded. His lips were glued at the sungi horn, and he tried a couple of more notes.

"Guess we'll all be going home soon then." she noted. His expressions did not change at all, but he did stop playing the horn.

He looked at her and said, "Thank you...for everything."

"Mmm." she replied.

The rainfall got harder and they looked at the downpour, each with their own thoughts. Even though normally Katara liked rainy weather, this time there was a certain heaviness in the air. This seemed like the last rainfall she'll share with everyone. She was sure that they'll all still be there for each other, but they all had to go back to where they came from. Aang would have to rebuild a culture from scratch, with the small number of airbending family he found. Sokka and her would have to go back to help rebuild South Pole. Nobody's quite sure what Toph would do, but it was obvious that she wasn't going back to her family. They'll meet up again someday but they had to i grow up /i .

She let out a sigh.

"Come again?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, um, nothing."

"It sounded like something."

"Oh, no I just sighed."

She proceeded to demonstrate, but this time, after she sighed, he blew a few notes. Right at that moment, the bamboo chime gave a beat.

They looked at each other.

The bamboo chime gave another beat.

Zuko blew a few experimental notes.

Katara murmured, "It...don't mean a thing..."

Zuko blew a couple more notes.

"...if it ain't got...that thing?"

Zuko released his lips momentarily from the instrument. "What about swing?"

"...it don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing?"

The chime sounded off again.

They both smiled.

Zuko started his sungi horn again with the first notes he tried after Katara sighed. He improvised on the next couple of bars and Katara clapped to the music. After getting more comfortable with the notes, he gestured at Katara.

"...Don't mean a thing..."

Katara stopped. Zuko nodded to her to continue as he held one note Katara was yet to finish.

"Don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing."

His fingers deftly played the pitches of the instrument. Katara didn't say more words but she merely tried to imitate the sound of the sungi horn, following the note as she clapped. They both looked at each other after about two minutes of Zuko's 'improv'.

They looked at the silent hallway. Afterwards, they stared at the rain. The clouds didn't seem to be running out of water any time soon. Their eyes were locked again and they knew.

She started clapping rythmically again.

He stuck his lips in the horn again and began a more confident version of the song.

"Don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing." she started. She hummed the tune "Don't mean a thing all you gotta do is swing." This time she steeled herself and started saying, "Doo wah doo wah doo wah." to the song's tune.

Zuko cracked a smile as he played. Encouraged, she started to rock her body to the music.

The next set of note came and she made up the lyrics as fast as she could in her head, "Makes no difference if the rythm's sweet or not, give that rythm, give that ryrthm, doo wah doo wah doo wah."

At this point Zuko started his improv again. Notes climbed up and down as easily as water flowed. Her smile grew and grew as Zuko's improv become wilder and wilder.

And then suddenly he stopped. But his hands gestured to her to continue the note with her own vocals. "Lo duh dah dooowah do wee do weee." His voice then joined with hers, "Doo wah doo wah doo wah doo wah." He started playing again and she clapped faster, as if challenging him. He responded to it by intensifying the rise and fall of notes and she shook her hips to the music. He hit a particularly high note and she spontaneously cried, "Rain rain go away, come here some other day!!"

They both laughed.

But Zuko didn't stop, and he urged Katara to continue clapping as the music become more lively. Never in his journeys with the Avatar, Zuko had seen her so loose, so spontaneous, and he noted her wide smile, exposing her teeth. He had always liked that, no matter how upset she got with him in the past, the fact that she exposed her teeth while she talked, smiled or laughed.

"Doo ley do leey do peri loo dee loo dee do weee." she sang. She has never really seen the other side of him, outside bending. He'd talk to Toph, Aang and sometimes Sokka but he never really came out of his shell in front of her. Strangely enough, she found his scarred face rather attractive. The way his bad eye squinted as he kept up with her rythm, the look of pure joy in his face, and how his fingers expertly moved up and down to control the pitch and note of the song.

i He must be good in bed /i but she quickly banished the thought.

"Deee deee deee raaa dee daaa deeeeraaaa." she sang, following the bet and the note.

i Her voice isn't too bad /i he thought. He immediately thought of her purring his name, and he quickly blushed and some of the melody became sloppy until he took control of his mind.

Her tempo went up a couple of notches as a result of this, but they both quickly adjusted to the new beat.

"Makes no difference if the rythm's sweet or not.", he quickly shouted.

"Give that thing, every little thing you got." she responded. She went back too Doo-wah-doowahing when his lips landed back at the horn.

"Been a hard day's night and I'm working like a doo doo doo wah oh ah ah ah"

He lifted his sungi horn much like as saxophone player and played a solo piece. Melodies flowed without any plan and strangely he enjoyed the lack of organization the piece offered. Suddenly, he realized Katara had stopped singing and clapping.

At this point he noticed there was someone else clapping. He lowered his sungi horn and turned around.

Mai.

"Pretty cool.", she commented smirking. Mai nodded at Katara.

Suddenly the master waterbender froze and avoided looking both of them in the eye. She whispered an excuse and quickly walked off to another direction.

"You should do that with me sometimes." his betrothed urged as she took his left arm.

"...maybe." he replied rather absentmindedly. His thought flew back to the song they both played.

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing

Don't mean a thing all you gotta do is swing

Makes no difference if the rythm's sweet or not, give that rythm, give that ryrthm

Give that rythm everything you got.

At that moment he immediately knew that he will miss her terribly.


End file.
